Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love)

by Gracen, Jennifer

  “So I see.” Pamela Dawson smiled as Lydia sat in the chair beside her. She reached over and squeezed Lydia’s hand. “Lydia, it's been so long! You look wonderful, dear. Really.”

  Lydia knew that Pamela’s added “really” meant not that she looked good for her appearance, but for the fact that she was a woman newly divorced. She smiled tightly. “Thanks.”

  “How long has it been since I saw you?” Pamela wondered aloud. “Maybe ten years?”

  “At least,” Lydia nodded. She looked at Melanie’s mother. She had aged well, was still an attractive woman, even with the tiny lines around her eyes and mouth. “You look fantastic, Pamela.”

  “You’re sweet to say that. How’s that gorgeous little boy of yours?” Pamela asked.

  “He’s doing well, thanks.”

  “How old is he now?”

  “Three and a half,” Lydia answered. She hated small talk. It felt tedious, it bored her, it felt like wasted breath. She liked Melanie’s mother well enough, but suddenly felt it would be a long night. She reached for her glass of wine again, and as she did, let her eyes sweep along the table. People were drinking, chatting, laughing. She was sitting on Melanie’s “side” of the table, with Melanie’s parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. On the other end of the long table were Ryan’s parents, and other relatives of his that she didn’t know. She saw Alec, his wife Paige, and their children, and Alec’s parents sitting next to Ryan’s parents. She figured they were the Forrester clan that Melanie had told her about.

  And then, her eyes met a pair of twinkling dark brown eyes that were already watching her. Sam sat on the other side of Paige, next to the kids, closer to them than Alec was. Once her eyes locked with his, the corner of his mouth turned up in an alluring half grin. To her surprise, she felt herself blush softly. She pressed her lips together, a self-conscious gesture, but couldn't hold back a return grin. Sam’s mouth widened into a full, radiant smile, and his stare intensified.

  “Do you have any pictures, Lydia?” Pamela’s voice said next to her.

  Jarred, Lydia turned back to her neighbor. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Do you have any pictures of your son to show me?” Pamela asked.

  “Sure, hold on. Of course I do…” Lydia was very aware of Sam’s eyes on her from where he sat, could feel him staring as she dug through her small bag for her cell phone. Finding it, she turned it on and scrolled until she found the most recent and scrumptious picture she had. “Here’s Andy just last week, at the park.”

  Pamela took the phone from Lydia to examine the picture more closely. “Oh my goodness, he’s a beautiful little boy!” she exclaimed in genuine delight.

  Lydia's insides warmed with pride. “Yes, I think he is too. Thank you.”

  Waiters moved around, took dinner orders, and topped off water glasses. Lydia made small talk with Pamela, Melanie, and some of the others around her; but every once in a while, she shyly stole a peek at Sam. Sometimes, he’d already been looking at her, and grinned sheepishly when caught; sometimes, he was talking to the children and unaware of her stolen glances. She watched as Paige brought small boxes of crayons and paper out of her bag and passed them out to her kids. Sam’s eyes lifted then, searching for Lydia’s. When he caught her gaze, he smiled at her, arched an eyebrow, and held up a crayon purposefully. She knew he was thinking of their earlier snippet of conversation in the garden, about how he hadn’t drawn in a long time. She smiled warmly back at him.

  “Draw for me, Uncle Sam!” the little boy cried. “Draw me a rocket ship! Pleeease?”

  Lydia swallowed some wine as comprehension dawned: Sam was Alec’s younger brother that Melanie had fleetingly mentioned, a Forrester, like family to Ryan. Ryan had grown up in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, with the Forresters; Sam lived in Chicago. “Ahhh,” Lydia murmured to herself. “Okay.”

  “What is it?” Melanie asked.

  “Nothing, nothing,” Lydia said, brushing it off quickly. She nibbled at the roll on her plate. When she thought it was safe to do so, her eyes again traveled down the length of the table, resting on Sam’s handsome face. He was laughing with the children, whom she now understood were his nephew and nieces, and drawing laboriously as all three of them barraged him with loud instructions on what to draw and which colors to use. He was obviously completely at ease with the kids, very warm towards them. She watched him for a few minutes, her perception of him changing as she watched him interact with the children. He was great with them.

  “He is kind of gorgeous, isn’t he?” Melanie whispered in Lydia’s ear.

  Caught, Lydia blushed furiously and looked down at her wine glass. “Shhh.”

  “I assume you were introduced already, since he was the one who told me where to find you when I was looking earlier,” Melanie said. Her look and tone alerted Lydia that she would be asking for more details. “So you know that's Sam Forrester.”

  “Yes, I met him earlier today,” Lydia said casually. “My suitcase fell over in the lobby, and he picked it up for me.”

  “Mm hmmm.” Melanie smirked. “Is that all?”

  “And I talked to him outside this afternoon for a bit. He's nice.”

  “Do go on,” Melanie prompted with a salacious drawl, her sky blue eyes sparkling.

  “Knock it off, you,” Lydia said, circling the rim of her wine glass with her fingertip. She kept her eyes on the deep red of the Merlot as she waited for the heat to leave her cheeks.

  Melanie snorted and went on. “I'd heard about him, of course—family tales—but I never met him before today. I liked him immediately. I thought he was going to be something of a smartass like his brother, since I know Alec, but, well, Sam’s a lot nicer. Just as sharp, but different… sweeter. Sam seems sweet. Alec… is not.” Melanie's eyebrows waggled and she lowered her voice further. “Sam’s single. That much I do know. So he’s single, good looking, and seems to be a really nice guy. You could do a hell of a lot worse. Hmm! This could be interesting… can I help?”

  “No,” Lydia said in a low, tight voice. She shot Melanie a stern look. “Absolutely not.”

  “Okay, okay. But if you want to find out anything about him, I really don’t know too much. I’d have to ask Ryan. You just let me know.…” Melanie smirked again, a wicked twinkle playing in her eyes. “He keeps looking over at you, now that I'm paying attention. Ooh, I like this. I could squee! This is cute.”

  “Mel! I just got divorced, remember?” Lydia whispered hotly. “Like, two minutes ago?”

  “I know. And?”

  “And maybe I’m not looking to—to hook up right now.”

  “Oh please. That’s probably exactly what you need right now!”

  “Shut up, you.”

  “What? You’re single, he’s single, no one’s breaking any laws,” Melanie went on. “And he's definitely a hottie. Even as an about-to-be bride hopelessly in love with my about-to-be groom, I can still appreciate a very sexy guy when I see one. And boy howdy is he.”

  “Melanie. I love you. Now. Shut. Up.” Lydia took a hearty gulp of her wine, finishing the glass.

  Giggling, Melanie leaned over and kissed the side of Lydia’s head, then turned back to talk to Ryan.

  At the far end of the table, Paige stood up to take Zack to the bathroom.

  “I wanna come too!” Cindy said with a petulant frown.

  “Okay then, c’mon,” Paige said, holding out her other hand. Cindy jumped up from her seat to grab at her mother, leaving Sam alone with Hope. Sam finished the details on the rocket ship he was drawing; Hope watched him work with fascination, mesmerized.

  Alec slid across the empty chairs to sit on Hope’s other side. “So, what, you couldn't shave for tonight?” he teased his younger brother. “Too much work for you?”

  A wide grin spread on Sam's face, but he didn't even look up from his drawing as he shot back, “I'm on vacation, I get to take a break from some things. I'll be clean shaven for the wedding; don't worry, Dad.”

  “See
that you are, young man.” Alec chuckled. He cocked his head to examine the picture. “You still got it, bro. Fancy ship you got going there.”

  “He’s the best artist in the world,” Hope crooned adoringly.

  Sam grinned. “Aww, thanks sweetie.” He put down the orange crayon to reach for the black one, and began the lettering on the wing of the rocket.

  “Having fun?” Alec teased, sipping from his nearly empty glass of scotch.

  “Actually, I am,” Sam said. “I haven’t seen the kids in what, almost two months? Too long already. And as for drawing, I haven’t done any freestyle in a lot longer than that.”

  “Especially with Crayola. A step up for you, huh Sammy?” Alec smirked.

  “Shut up,” Sam said on a laugh.

  “Yeah, shut up, Daddy,” Hope said.

  “Hey. Watch yourself, young lady,” Alec said sharply to his daughter.

  “Then don’t make fun of Uncle Sam,” Hope said, unafraid. Her little chin lifted in defiance. “He’s making this for us.”

  “Hope, honey,” Sam said, not looking up as he concentrated on the line he was drawing, “I’ve been putting up with your dad and his big mouth for a long time. Don’t worry about his teasing me. It rolls right off me.”

  “Pfft!” Alec grinned and knocked back the remainder of his drink.

  “Here… we… go,” Sam said. He put the finishing touches on the picture, then gently pushed it towards his niece. “What do you think? Is this okay? Does this meet approval?”

  “It’s awesome,” Hope breathed dramatically as she admired it. “Wait ‘til Zack and Cindy see this, they’re gonna love it!”

  “It is pretty cool,” Alec conceded. Sam leaned in to survey his work. He had drawn a rocket ship, slightly resembling Apollo 13, soaring through space. He’d scattered a few random planets through the black, starry sky, but the rocket was in the center, detailed and realistic, with orange and yellow flames shooting from its engines.

  “Thank you, Uncle Sam!” Hope squealed. She kissed his cheek, then carefully picked up the drawing and took it over to show her grandparents.

  Sam sat back in his seat, content, following his niece with his eyes. But within seconds, he was looking back down the table to see what Lydia was doing. She was in profile, turned slightly away from him, talking with Melanie. He let his eyes glide over her and take her in.

  “Who’s she?” Alec’s voice came stealthily.

  Sam broke off his gaze to glance at his older brother. “Who?”

  “The redhead you’ve been staring at all night,” Alec said. He snorted out a caustic laugh. “Don’t play dumb with me. You can’t pull it off, you’re too sharp.”

  “Well, thanks for that backhanded compliment.” Sam grinned. He reached for his glass, which also contained scotch, and took a sip.

  “You’re stalling,” Alec said. “Come on, fill me in before Paige and the kids get back. What’s the deal?”

  “There’s no deal,” Sam said with nonchalance.

  “Right. You’re obviously interested in her, you’re clearly checking this chick out, so just fess up.” Alec’s grin turned wicked. “You always liked a woman with curves, and Lord knows she’s got ‘em. A one night stand, perhaps? A little action for the weekend away?”

  Sam snorted derisively. “You’re charming. Once a frat boy, always a frat boy.”

  “Who is she?” Alec pressed.

  “Her name’s Lydia,” Sam said, giving in. “She’s a friend of Melanie’s. They were college roommates.”

  “Aha. And?”

  “And nothing.”

  “I call bullshit,” Alec declared.

  Sam laughed. Without full awareness of it, his eyes drifted right back to Lydia. She seemed to sense that she was being looked at, because she glanced at him almost immediately. She offered him a small, bashful grin. He smiled back at her openly, warmly.

  “Ohhh, please,” Alec scoffed. “What was that? Nothing, huh? Nothing, my ass. You guys are totally flirting with each other, doing the dance.” His eyes burned into Sam as he used his best interrogative stare. “So you met her here?”

  “This morning,” Sam said, unable to keep the smile off his face as he again turned back to his brother. No matter how overbearing or even obnoxious Alec could be at times, his ribbing rarely failed to amuse Sam.

  “Have you talked to her?” Alec asked, seizing the opening. “I mean, at some length, more than introductions.”

  “This afternoon. I ran into her outside, and we sat and talked for a while.”

  Alec’s eyes narrowed as he studied his younger brother. “You’re editing.”

  The corner of Sam’s mouth turned up rakishly. “Only a little.”

  “Mm hmm. So? You gonna try to hook up with her?”

  Sam snorted again. “Even if I am, I’m sure as hell not going to discuss it with you first.”

  “Hey, I just wanna lend a helping hand, if you need it,” Alec said, the sly smirk returning.

  “Riiight. You want to help me?” Sam laughed, but held Alec's gaze. “Then do nothing. Don’t help. And keep this on the DL—I don’t need Paige involved and on my back too.”

  “Hey, handsome, I’m sure you’ve got it covered,” Alec drawled. “I know you’ve got game. I’m just sayin’. It’s fun to watch you hunt.”

  “Hunt?” Sam said, his tone indignant. “She’s not an animal. She’s not a target.”

  “Alright, alright, didn’t mean to offend,” Alec said, holding up his hands in surrender. “It’s just kind of funny. I haven’t been privy to watching you gear up for the prowl in a long time, that’s all. And we’ll all be together all weekend—I get a front row seat. Me, Paige, Mom and Dad… we all get to watch—what fun!” Alec cracked a wide, sardonic smile.

  “Wonderful,” Sam groaned. The thought of his whole family keeping an eye on his activities didn't please him one bit. “Do me a favor, alright? Just give me some room. Pay attention to your wife and kids, not me.”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever you say,” Alec said dismissively. He looked down the table to check out Lydia for himself. “She is pretty, I’ll give you that. Not a knockout, per se, but definitely attractive. And even though she’s got a great rack, other than that she’s not your usual type. I’m a little surprised.”

  “Oh yeah?” Sam’s eyebrows shot up, his expression cynical and mildly curious. “What do you think my ‘type’ is?”

  “Well, with the obvious exception of Chelsea, and then the few other women you got serious with after her—whose names I can’t even remember right now, holy crap—you always seem to hit on blondes. Whenever we’ve gone out, to a bar or whatever, that’s who you seem to look at, and to pick up.” Alec rubbed his temples. “Dammit, this is bugging me now. What were their names? There was the one you dated first, lasted like six months, I wanna say? And then, there was the one you moved in with for a while, you were with her for like two years?”

  “First one was Emily. Second one was Maria,” Sam murmured, his voice flat. He hadn’t thought of either of them in a long time. He was honestly surprised that Alec had even remembered both women, much less brought them up in the correct order and context. He took a hard swallow of his scotch and welcomed the burn down his throat.

  “Right! Yes. Thank you. They were both brunettes, like Chelsea. But you don’t hook up with darker haired women, unless there’s something more to them that interests you beyond just having a fling. Like, you realize they have a brain, or a decent personality, and then it’s different.” Alec smirked knowingly. “To sum up, Sammy: you play with blondes, you get real with brunettes. So I’m surprised you’d give a red haired woman a second look, that’s new. Although technically, she could almost be a brunette; her hair isn’t, like, flaming red. More like auburn, I guess you'd call it? I don’t know colors, you’re the artist.” His smirk widened into a salacious smile. “So? How’m I doin’? On the money?”

  Sam said nothing in response to his brother’s observations, which were u
nnerving in their accuracy. Taken aback, his jaw set in displeasure for a moment before he knocked back the rest of his drink in one hard gulp.

  Alec laughed mockingly, victoriously. He gave Sam’s shoulder a good-natured squeeze and pressed ahead. “I know you well, little brother. Better than you think. Don’t ever forget that. So? What’s Lydia’s story? Where’s she from?”

  “Jesus. Where the hell did Paige take the kids to pee?” Sam wondered aloud. “Siberia?”

  * * *

  Dinner was served, a few toasts were made, and conversation and laughter flowed as easily as the drinks. Towards the end of the meal, Melanie whispered into Lydia’s ear that there was a pub and lounge on the fourth floor of the hotel, and a few of them were going there after the dinner to hang out. “Please, please come. Just for a little while.”

  Lydia sighed. She was tired, and the third glass of wine in front of her was half empty already. She had a perfect buzz going, and had been looking forward to just going back to her room and passing out in a comfortable bed. But she couldn’t say no to her old friend. “I’m really tired, Mel. I’m only gonna stay for a little while. Deal?”

  “Deal. I’ll take what I can get.” Melanie smiled, obviously pleased.

  After some deliciously decadent desserts, the guests all began to disperse. Melanie’s parents both hugged Lydia, repeating how glad they were to have her there. People headed for the door, going to get a good night’s sleep for the following day’s big event. Lydia smiled and shook hands with all the relatives she’d met that evening.

  She tried to be discreet as she glanced over to where Sam was, at his end of the table, wondering if he'd be joining the troupe headed to the lounge. The younger of the little girls was up in his arms; she watched him kiss her little pink cheek. It looked like Sam, Alec, and Paige were saying good night to the kids, and Lydia continued to observe as Sam and Alec's parents eventually led their grandchildren out of the room. Once they were gone, Alec turned to Ryan and called out boisterously across the length of the room, “Alright, Selby. The kids are off to bed, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa. Paige and I get to hang out with the grownups. Let’s go, my brother!”